


In Event of Moon Disaster

by Hoothootmotherf_ckers



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Apollo 11 au, Character Death, Gen, NASA AU, this does not end well!, this is not happy! this is a lot of sad!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-09 02:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15256938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoothootmotherf_ckers/pseuds/Hoothootmotherf_ckers
Summary: There was only about a 50% chance that the lunar lander would be able to return from the moon. Davenport, Lup and Magnus knew that going into it. But knowing and having to deal with it are two separate things.





	In Event of Moon Disaster

“Fuck, fuck fuck. I’m so sorry. I’m-“ Davenport says, hands pulling at his hair. “I don’t know, there must be something I can do!”

A hissing, crackly voice comes over the radio, and Lup’s voice, shaky but there, says “We’ve been over every option. There’s nothing that can be done.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Magnus chimes in as well, sounding tired. “This one’s pretty solidly on me.” The others chime in, disagreeing, but he continues. “No, guys. I’m the one who landed this thing. I’m the one who crashed.”

 

Apollo 11, the first mission to land on the moon. It was crazy, it was dangerous, but it would make history. But there was so much that could go wrong, and it started to as soon as the lunar lander separated from the command module. Lup and Magnus had to follow an incredibly precise set of procedures for a successful landing. However, in a factor beyond their control, the module descended too fast, sending the crew miles from their intended landing site. Magnus had to scramble to find a new site, with a surface flat enough for a safe landing, but the area was too rocky and rough. Despite their best efforts, the module landed badly, shattering a leg and tipping onto its side. There was no way to right it, no way to ready it for takeoff. Lup and Magnus were trapped on the moon, with about 48 hours of oxygen and no viable method of ascent. 

Meanwhile, Davenport was his own kind of trapped. As Command Module Pilot, he had remained in orbit around the moon, waiting for their return. He could talk to them, he could comfort them, he could brainstorm with them and Mission Control. But physically, he couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t fix anything. 

They all knew there were dangers to space exploration, to any new discoveries. Lup and Davenport both were experienced test pilots, a career path with a frighteningly high mortality rate. Davenport and Magnus had both flown fighters in the Air Force as well. And space exploration went several steps beyond even those paths in sheer danger. No one would forget the Apollo 1 fire, which had killed three astronauts just two years ago. Terrifying accidents and missteps happened all the time on missions or even in training, you just had to be as prepared as possible to take what would come. And Lup, Magnus, and Davenport were as skilled as they came, but even they couldn’t prepare for everything.

 

It’s been a day, now. A day with two of humanity’s best and brightest stranded on the moon. A day of Davenport circling, orbiting the moon, trying not to panic for the half hour of every orbit spent on the dark side, out of radio contact. A day of Lucretia and the rest of Mission Control scrambling, looking for something, _anything,_ that would save them. A day of terror and frantic anxiety dimming to resignation. 

Lucretia’s voice comes over the radio. “I need a status update, all three of you.” 

“Well, nothing much has changed on our part,” Lup says softly. “Down to about 24 hours of oxygen, still no way to repair the _Eagle_. I think… it’s done. We’re over.”

“Are you sure?” Lucretia asks, static not quite masking her cracking voice. 

“Yeah, there’s… there’s nothing we can do anymore. Davenport, will you take some messages back for us?” Magnus asks, the normally enthusiastic man sounding somber, yet not upset.

Davenport whispers, “Of… of course I will.”

Trying not to scream, not to tear out his hair, he pulls out a small pad of paper. All their radio chatter is being recorded, but this is more personal. It’s the least he can do, yet it’s all he can do.

“Tell Taako and Merle to take care, now that I can’t watch their backs. Make sure someone takes care of Fisher and Steven, too? And I guess… I guess I won’t get a grave. But put a plaque or something next to Julia’s, please?” 

“Of course, Magnus,” Davenport said, tearing up. Magnus’s wife, Julia, had been what was known as a “computer,” one of the highly skilled women who calculated the trajectories for missions. They’d met when Magnus was a new astronaut trainee and Julia had been working on the Gemini program. They’d both fallen hard for each other and married after a few short years of fairy-tale romance. However, just weeks after their wedding, she had been killed in a hit-and-run accident. The other driver was never found, and Magnus had never really recovered. Davenport secretly felt that was the reason Magnus was so accepting of the inherent danger in space exploration - there wasn’t much left tying him to Earth. 

Lup went next. “Tell Barry and Taako that I love them, and I’m so sorry. Don’t let them do anything stupid, okay? Talk to Kravitz and Angus, they can help you with that. And I figure we probably get some shiny memorial or something, but please don’t make it too flashy. Just… something small. And Dav, Lucretia, don’t blame yourselves. You did everything you could, and we knew what we were getting into.”

She pauses for a second. “I guess… As commander, it’s my duty to give an official statement. So here goes.” She clears her throat.

“This is Lup Taaco, Mission Commander of Apollo 11. I have the honor of being the first person to set foot on the moon, along with my good friend Magnus Burnsides. However, it has become apparent that we will not be returning to Earth, due to an unavoidable misfortune. No one is to blame for this, neither in space or on Earth. Accidents happen, and Magnus and I both knew the dangers of this mission. And yet, we chose to do it anyway.”

“We are not heroes. We are just two people who were given the opportunity to advance science, to increase human knowledge, and so we took it. This mission was not a failure. Though we will not return to Earth, the information learned from this mission will. Use what we learned from this to improve future missions, for they should not stop on our account. There’s so much of the universe to explore, and Magnus and I are proud to have unearthed even just a tiny bit of it. I can only imagine how far we may come in the future, as long as we are unafraid, as long as we don’t give up. Mourn us, but do not allow it to prevent the advancement of discovery. “

“Thank you for the faith you put in us, for the belief that risks are worth it in the pursuit of knowledge. Commander Lup Taaco, signing off.”

There’s a hush in the command module, tears slipping down Davenport’s face. After a moment, Magnus says “Okay, there is _no way_ you came up with that on the spot.” He’s trying to keep his tone light, but cracks are slipping through. 

Davenport imagines Lup shrug. “I’m Mission Commander, I had to prepare for every eventuality. We both knew exactly how possible this one was.”

“Thank you, Lup, Magnus,” Lucretia says, sounding just as choked up as the others. “Davenport, status?”

“I need to return to Earth soon,” he says numbly. “The next opportunity window is coming up in about an orbit. I have to leave.”

“That’s okay, Dav,” Magnus says kindly. “We need you to go. You need to make it home.”

“This is as good a time as any for us to sign off,” Lup says. “We…” Her composure cracks for a second, but she pulls herself back together. “We’d rather you not be around for this next bit. That all right with you, Magnus?”

“Yeah, it is,” he says, breaking up a bit. “Goodbye Davenport. Goodbye Lucretia and Mission Control, and goodbye, Earth.”

“Goodbye, Magnus, Lup,” Davenport whispers back. Lucretia echoes him softly.

“Bye, guys. We love you,” Lup says, with a tone of finality. “This is the _Eagle_ , signing off for the last time.”

There’s a click, and they’re gone. 

Davenport moves as if in a haze. He makes all necessary preparations and initiates return to Earth, the moon growing ever smaller from his window aboard the _Columbia._ For about two days, he’s floating through space, working on autopilot and watching the Earth grow and moon fade. Finally, there’s the flames of reentry, the splashdown into the Pacific, being pulled out of the water and onto the USS Hornet. The whole time, he’s communicative, together, able to complete all necessary tasks. He has to be, he has to keep it together. It’s why he was Command Module Pilot. Lup had to think of the hard possibilities, so that she and Magnus could do anything to avoid them. But if they got to that point, it was Davenport who had to be able to go through with them. 

So he’s professional, serious, blocking out his emotions from interfering with necessities. He has to do it. There’s no one else who can. He stays that way for days, through tests and questions and procedures.

When he steps out into the sunlight, onto dry land, and sees a tall, white haired woman in a suit, and three very different looking men in matching red jackets with the Apollo 11 insignia… That’s when he breaks. And they’re there to catch him, to cry with him. 

 

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IN EVENT OF MOON DISASTER:

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Fate has ordained that the woman and man who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

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These brave astronauts, Lup Taaco and Magnus Burnsides, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for humanity in their sacrifice.

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These two are laying down their lives in humanity’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

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They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her children into the unknown.

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In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the camaraderie of humanity.

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In ancient days, humans looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic women and men of flesh and blood.

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Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Humanity’s search will not be denied. But these two were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

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For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

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**Author's Note:**

> This could have easily been the outcome of the first moon landing. Being sent drastically off course was real, that happened and the astronauts got very lucky. They knew they only had about a 50% chance of making it back to earth from the moon. They could have crash landed, they could have had engines fail, the could have been unable to dock with the Columbia... so many things could have gone wrong. "In Event of Moon Disaster" is a real speech that I have edited. It was written for President Nixon for this exact outcome. That's how likely catastrophe was.
> 
> I may write a second version of this that goes a more Apollo 13 route. My tumblr is hoothootmotherf-ckers if you want to yell about TAZ or about space exploration.


End file.
